


region of the parisian stars

by haloagreste



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bisexual Luka Couffaine, Developing Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Eventual Relationships, F/M, Fluff, Identity Reveal, Kissing, Mild Angst, Minor Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Kagami Tsurugi, Minor Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square, Oblivious Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Oblivious Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir and Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Platonic Relationships, Protective Luka Couffaine, Quotes from Show, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, lots of marichat !!, very similar to original plot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-13 16:06:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29653827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haloagreste/pseuds/haloagreste
Summary: “Ever since our first battle together, you’ve been stuck in my mind, bugaboo. You’re the only girl I think about, every single day and every single night. There’s so much I admire about you, your passion, your resilience, your determination,” he hesitates for a second, turning away from her eyes to look down at his hands, “your beauty.”“Chat, I-”“I know what you’re going to say, ‘I’m in love with someone else’. But I can’t help but feel like I can give you more. It’s always ‘I’m in love with’ and never ‘I’m with’, you know? If you’re spending all this time chasing after this one guy and he hasn’t returned those feelings, then… then maybe he doesn’t deserve you.”
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe
Comments: 7
Kudos: 69





	1. i

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir tells Ladybug/Marinette something that stays on her mind the whole day. She can't seem to make her mind up, will she act on those powerful words he spoke to her?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! This is my first fanfiction on here :) I don't proof read much, so if there's any mistakes just let me know. I always appreciate constructive criticism, so feel free to give any advice, too. Hope you enjoy the first chapter of region of the parisian stars.
> 
> Follow my twitter @froggyhalo to be notified when I post a new chapter!

“Cataclysm!” Chat Noir shouts, raising his hand into the air and letting the dark orb of energy surge through him. He lunges forwards and presses his palm to the phone that Lady Wifi has gripped in her hand. The akuma is released, and Ladybug is quickly back in motion, capturing it, devilising it and setting it free.

“Miraculous Ladybug!” She yells, throwing her lucky charm, which today happened to be a frozen pizza, into the air and letting her magic ladybugs restore the damage Lady Wifi had caused. 

Chat Noir quickly skips over to Ladybug and extends his fist out towards her, a smug look painted on his face. “You smug cat,” she says, giggling a little and extending her fist out to meet his. “Pound it,” they say in unison. 

Ladybug diverts her attention away from Chat and to Lady Wifi instead, now a simple Alya, sat curled up on the pavement with her head in her hands. “Hey,” she says softly, sitting down beside her and rubbing her back in comfort, “it happens to the best of us. Don’t beat yourself up about it, I know you’re no super-villain.” Alya looks up, gratefulness in her watery, green eyes and she sighs, leaning into Ladybug’s shoulder.

“Thanks Ladybug. I know you’ll always save me.”

. . .

“The fight was tiring today, wasn’t it?” Chat Noir remarks as they sit on the roof of a Parisian building. Ladybug doesn’t speak, only responding with a soft ‘mm’ in agreement. The pale moonlight washes over the emptying streets of Paris, civilians heading home after long days at work. They continue to sit in comfortable silence, watching over the city, with a magnificent view of the lit-up Eiffel Tower in front of them. “M’lady,” Chat begins gently, turning himself to face her and resting his hand on top of hers, “thanks for… thanks for accepting my invitation to come out here tonight.”

“Of course, mon chaton,” she replies, shifting a little and sliding her hand out from underneath his.

“I just… I want you to know-”

“Please, Chat. Not tonight.”

“No, no, no. Tonight. I need to tell you how I truly feel. Not just with some flirty comment, something from the heart.” There’s a brief pause as Ladybug looks up to the navy night sky, littered with twinkling stars from all across the galaxy. But for some odd reason, she feels like they’ve all gathered here tonight for one specific reason. This very moment. So she decides to become lenient and positions herself to face Chat. She watches his face light up, then become a bit more serious as he gathers his thoughts.

“Ever since our first battle together, you’ve been stuck in my mind, bugaboo. You’re the only girl I think about, every single day and every single night. There’s so much I admire about you, your passion, your resilience, your determination,” he hesitates for a second, turning away from her eyes to look down at his hands, “your beauty.”

“Chat, I-”

“I know what you’re going to say, ‘I’m in love with someone else’. But I can’t help but feel like I can give you more. It’s always ‘I’m in love with’ and never ‘I’m with’, you know? If you’re spending all this time chasing after this one guy and he hasn’t returned those feelings, then… then maybe he doesn’t deserve you.”

Ladybug is breathless. Chat’s words make so much sense… It almost feels like a slap in the face, an attempt to get her to snap out of this crazy obsession that she has with Adrien. Maybe he’s right. Maybe she needs to realise her own value.

“I can’t promise to be perfect. You and I both know I’m far from it,” he says with a breathy chuckle. “But I can promise to be the best version of myself for you. Treat you right. Give you the love I know you deserve,” he grips both of her hands in his own and squeezes them gently. “Because you do. D-Deserve love, I mean. And if this boy isn’t willing to give it to you, then let me be the one to do that. Let me be the one, m’lady.”

She’s left speechless. Chat’s viridescent eyes burning passionately into hers. Her small hands gripped so tightly in his. She’s about to open her mouth and speak when her earrings start to beep frantically, causing her to remove her hands from his and peel her gaze away from him. 

“I need time, Chat,” and he sighs audibly, turning to face the Eiffel Tower, staring out into the sleepy city. She places a hand on his cheek and uses it to turn his face towards her, softening her eyes and gripping his thigh with her free hand. “It’s not a no, chaton. Your words mean so much to me. More than you know. I feel as if those kind words will stay with me for a lifetime. J-Just give me time.” She leans in and whispers in his ear, “And in the meantime, I’ll be thinking of you.” She places a gentle kiss on his soft cheek and leans back to gaze into his eyes, stroking her thumb against his cheek. He wraps a hand around her wrist and leans into her hand.

“I understand,” he breathes, barely even above a whisper. And with that, she removes her hand from his face and takes one last look at him before swinging away and out of sight, leaving the little kitty on a roof, all alone without his lady.

. . .

The faint buzz of a phone underneath Marinette’s pillow causes her to stir awake in the morning. Exhaling a loud groan, she slides her hand under and moves it around, trying to locate the source of the unpleasant noise. Finally, her fingers find the cool silicone phone case and she brings it to her face, turning it on and blinking rapidly to get her eyes adjusted to the brightness of the screen. ‘8:09 am’ the screen read. Meaning that… Marinette has… 21 minutes before school. And she hasn’t left her bed yet.

She screams, immediately shooting out of her bed and ripping her pyjamas off frantically. Opening her drawers, she finds her favourite white t-shirt, her casual, brown blazer and her pink jeans. Once she’s dressed, she takes a seat in front of her vanity and grabs two hair bands, parting her hair in the middle and tying each side up into her signature low pigtails. She applies a light layer of lip gloss to her pink lips, creating a pretty and glossy shine. “You look great, Marinette!” A small voice remarks beside her.

“Thanks, Tikki. I still look a bit tired, but I guess I’ll just make-do for now,” she sighs, pulling at her eyes and cheeks, struggling to make herself look a bit more uplifted. “But, it’s time to go. Oh god, I’m gonna be late,” she says, observing the clock that hangs on the wall in her room. The smaller hand is pointing to a large number 8, whereas the big hand is pointed somewhere in between the big 4 and 5. She quickly stuffs her books and stationary into her bag before rushing downstairs.

“Marinette!” her mother says in surprise. “I thought you’d left already, dear.”

“Running late, mom!” Marinette explains as she grabs a fresh croissant off of the tray her dad just pulled out of the oven. She gives each of them two quick pecks on the cheek before running out the door and shoving a whole croissant in her mouth.

As Marinette begins to approach the front of the school building, her phone buzzes with an incoming call. Alya. Probably asking where she is. So she slides the screen left to answer, but before she knows it, the phone is out of her hand and on the floor. And so is she.

“Marinette? Oh my god, I’m so sorry! I-I didn’t even see you there!”

Marinette rubs a hand on her head, trying to ease the painful throbbing that has now appeared after being knocked over. Mind in confusion, she grabs the hand that’s extended out towards her and pulls herself up with it, ending up directly in front of the person’s face.

“A-Adrien?”

“Are you okay, Marinette? Is your head alright? I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to. I can take you to the nurse’s office if it’s really bad-”

“Um, no! It’s alright. I’m alright. I’m great! Well, not great, but I’m… fine! Fine. Just fine,” she blurts out, tumbling over each and every word, her face flushing a bright red. Adrien’s face softens at the sight of her embarrassment, taking in the sight and admiring it. He takes Marinette’s arm and wraps it around his shoulders, supporting her as they walk to class together. Marinette can’t take her eyes off of him, his beautiful, green eyes. His silky, blonde hair. His soft, clear skin. He looks like an angel. He is an angel. Marinette is convinced that Adrien Agreste fell from heaven itself. He’s perfect.

Once they reach the door of their classroom, Marinette lifts her arm off of his shoulders, even though it quite literally pains her to do so. Every touch from Adrien seems to linger on her skin, heating it up and surging right through her. 

He places a palm on the door and pushes it forward, walking into the crowded classroom. Class hasn’t started yet, but Miss Bustier is sat at her desk, typing something quickly into the computer. The two of them give each other a look, and the corner of Adrien’s mouth lifts ever so slightly into a cheeky smirk. It seems so… familiar to Marinette. But she can’t place a finger on it yet. 

He grabs her gently by the wrist and pulls her to the side of the classroom, sneaking around Miss Bustier’s line of sight. He notices an empty desk at the back and nods his head in the direction of it, looking back at Marinette again with an excited twinkle in his eyes. They quickly slide into their seats and look around the classroom, trying to see if anyone’s noticed them. Most of the class is still talking amongst themselves, apart from Chloe and Lila, who are both shooting life-threatening glares at her. She quickly looks away, directing her attention to Alya and Nino, who are both also staring at the two of them, but instead of hatred, there’s smugness painted all across their faces. Alya winks straight at Marinette and puts both of her thumbs up. Adrien looks back just in time to catch this last motion and bursts out into laughter, the beautiful sound of his giggles vibrating through Marinette’s body and making its way inside her heart.

Just as he stops laughing, Miss Bustier stands up and shouts at the class to quiet down. She begins the lesson, explaining what they’re going to be doing today and how they’re going to do it. Marinette zones out halfway through, her mind wandering back to Chat Noir’s confession to her last night. She takes a quick side glance at Adrien, his face focused and eyes directly on the whiteboard at the front of the class. As much as she hates to admit it, Chat was right. It seems like Marinette and Adrien are just going around in endless circles. They flirt for a bit, she gets her hopes up and finally thinks he’s interested in her, but then something always comes up. Chloe, Lila, Kagami… Or whenever she tries to declare her feelings of love towards him, something always goes wrong. The words Adrien has said to her before echo through her head, _‘You’re a great friend, Marinette.’ ‘I’m glad to be stuck here with a friend like you.’_ Even that one time when she accidentally wandered into the boys’ locker room and heard him talking about her to someone. _‘Who, Marinette? No! She’s just a friend.’_ But do friends look at friends that way? Do friends slow dance with each other at parties? Do friends slow dance again almost months later to the same song, but this time under the moonlight? Adrien is constantly giving her mixed signals. And Chat is right. She does deserve better.

When the bell rings after class, Marinette immediately jumps out of her seat and mumbles a quick, “Bye,” to Adrien. She has to get out of there. Gather her thoughts. Talk to Alya. She looks towards the door, which has developed a little crowd of students around it, trying to get to their next lesson. Alya’s fiery hair catches her eye, before it walks through the door and disappears out of her sight. Marinette begins running a little, trying to catch up with her best friend.

“Marinette?” 

Deja vu. She’s on the floor. Again. In almost the exact same position she was this morning. The throbbing is beginning to make its second appearance of the day. She groans, grabbing the hand out in front of her. But it feels… different. She looks down at the hand wrapped in hers and notices black nailpolish. Without hesitation, her mouth drops open slightly and she looks into the all-too-familiar blue eyes in front of her. A gentle smile appears on Luka’s face as he places a hand on her shoulder and squeezes gently. “You okay, Mari?” Her heart skips a beat at the use of his nickname for her and she can feel herself melting into his touch.

“I am now,” she says hazily, before shaking her head and straightening up a little bit and correcting herself. “I mean… um. Yeah, thank you.”

“Are you sure? I don’t just mean physically,” he says, the emotion in his eyes fathoms deep, yet carrying the warmth and life of the sunlit surface. A thousand hues of blue and a small touch of hazel radiating in softly swooping arcs. 

Marinette hesitates for a second, before slamming into Luka’s body, burying her head into his chest and wrapping her arms around his torso. “No, Luka. I-I…” He gently shushes her, returning the hug and rubbing one of his large hands up and down her back, comforting her quietly. As she sobs softly, he turns her to his side and puts an arm around her shoulders, holding her tight and walking away from the door of the classroom. Leaving Adrien alone in there, mouth agape, jealousy tugging harshly at his heart.


	2. ii

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette reflects on previous moments of affection she's shared with Adrien and talks to Luka about how she feels about him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys ! thank u all so much for the love on the first chapter, it really means a lot ! sorry this one took so long, but hopefully the wait was worth it !?
> 
> reminder to follow my twitter @froggyhalo for updates :)

Adrien stands at the back of the classroom, an uncomfortable feeling stirring in his stomach. Jealousy? Jealousy. Adrien’s never been jealous of Marinette and Luka before. She’s… she’s just a friend, right? So why can’t he seem to shake this disgusting emotion? He grabs his bag and exits the classroom, making his way to the locker rooms for his next lesson.

_A slow guitar tune begins to play, and everyone in the room seems to be coupling up. Adrien moves over to the side and folds his arms over his chest, a small smile on his face as he watches guests of the party dance together. He even notices Chloe dancing with Kim, and a warm feeling creeps over him. He’s proud of her. There’s a faint chatter amongst the people standing on the sides of the dancefloor, he can even hear people talking behind him. “Uh, what!? Adrien? No, you’re crazy Aly-”_

_Suddenly, he feels someone colliding into his back. He turns around and is met with Marinette’s incredibly flushed face looking up at him. She looks a bit lost._

_“Hey Marinette! Wanna dance?” He says, and he watches as her face somehow becomes even more red and she starts stuttering over her words. A fond smile spreads across his face. She’s quite cute when she’s embarrassed. He doesn’t wait for an answer, just grabs her hand and pulls her over to the dancefloor. She doesn’t speak a word, only gazes straight into Adrien’s eyes as he places her hand in his and her other on his shoulder, then placing his free hand at her hip. He looks down and into her eyes, beautiful colours of blue swimming with a shimmer of gold, her pupils blown in admiration of his face before her._

_They step around the space together. It feels so natural. Like nothing else matters except the two of them in this current moment, slow dancing to the sound of a beautiful guitar. Adrien never takes his eyes off of Marinette’s, and vice versa. He can see the panic disappearing and instead being replaced by… love? Adoration? No. No, that’s stupid. He tries to shake the thought out of his head. Friends. Just sharing a dance._

_Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Alya spinning towards them. His eyes widen as she comes over, taking both his hands and wrapping them around Marinette’s waist, then taking her hands and wrapping them around his neck and shoulders. She gives them both a wink, then spins off again without saying anything more. Adrien looks back to face Marinette, noticing how the panic has reappeared on her face again. So he gives her a reassuring smile and shrugs his shoulders, placing his head next to hers. He feels her relax and melt into his body, resting her head on his shoulder and pressing her chest against his._

_They sway. Sway to the beautiful rhythm of the guitar. Feeling each other’s beating hearts against their own. And nothing else matters. Nothing._

After second period, the locker room has cleared out, leaving Adrien alone to his thoughts. He sighs heavily, leaning back against a locker and sliding down until he’s sitting on the floor.

“You just confessed your love to Ladybug and now you’re jealous of Marinette and Luka?” Plagg points out, snacking on a bit of blue cheese Adrien brought to school for him.

“I know, Plagg. Trust me, I do. I’ve always convinced myself that she’s just a friend, but… I don’t know. Seeing her look at Luka that way…”

“You’re so oblivious to the truth, Adrien. Marinette’s more than a friend. And she makes it _soooo_ obvious.”

“Really? You think she likes me?” 

Plagg doesn’t respond, instead he just shoots him a glare as he stuffs the last bit of cheese into his mouth. Adrien hums quietly in thought to himself. It seems like he has a lot of things to figure out.

. . . 

“So what’s up?” Luka asks in a gentle tone.

The two of them have taken refuge in an empty stairwell on the west side of the school. They’re sat cross-legged on the cold floor underneath the staircase. Marinette told her second period teacher that she was going to the nurse’s office, which isn’t exactly a complete lie; she’s planning to go over after she talks to Luka.

“I don’t even know where to start, I mean-” Luka places a hand on her cheek and strokes it softly with his thumb, smiling at her reassuringly. She smiles back, leaning into his hand for a moment before straightening up and starting her story. “I’ve always liked Adrien, since the beginning and… I mean I know I’ve made it obvious. He’s always sending me mixed signals. He even asked me to dance with him at Chloé’s birthday party… but then always says that I’m just a friend. I’m tired of hearing that, Luka.”

“You clearly mean a lot to him Marinette. He likes you a lot. But if he’s not willing to turn your friendship into something more, then maybe it’s time to move onto other things. You’re a beautiful girl, Marinette. Sweet, kind, funny. You could have anyone you wanted.”

Marinette sniffs, trying to fight back the tears that are starting to prickle in her eyes. She wraps her arms around him in a tight hug, burying her face and sobbing into his shoulder. Luka doesn’t hesitate to hug her back, in fact, he didn’t even flinch at the way she suddenly flung her body into his. Instead, he just returned the hug, keeping one hand on her back and the other on her head, cradling her as if to protect her from everything that was a threat to her in this world.

Luka never wants Marinette to feel alone. Even if she’ll never like him back, he won’t stop being there for her. He’s made that promise to himself. She’s… _amazing_. A light in everyone’s life. She has the biggest and kindest heart. She’s selfless. And she’s never lost sight of who she truly is. And that’s why he’s sat under this staircase, holding her as she cries about another boy.

He’s not jealous, so to say. Just… hurt? Maybe, numb? It sounds dark if you put it that way. He’s just become accustomed to the fact that Marinette loves Adrien; he doesn’t believe that she’ll ever love anyone the way she loves him. But what she doesn’t know is that there’s someone who feels the same way about her.

“Thank you so much Luka,” Marinette says, her voice breaking a little. She leans back, but doesn’t let go of Luka completely, and they sit and gaze into each other’s eyes for a little while longer before she breaks the hug. Luka jumps to his feet, holding out a hand for Marinette to pull herself up with. She smiles at him, gratefulness painted all across her face, and they make their way to where they need to be.

As they walk through the school’s hallways, Marinette finds herself subconsciously leaning in towards Luka’s body. Once she realises, she adjusts a little bit and steps away, but Luka doesn’t say anything. Either he didn’t notice or, maybe, he doesn’t mind. So she slowly steps closer into him again and their knuckles brush together slightly, making him look up at her and chuckle breathily. Instant heat rushes to her cheeks and she just giggles back. 

Marinette enjoys his company. He’s such a sweet boy. So, so, so sweet. His kindness might be his downfall. Luka always puts other people first, and it makes Marinette wonder if anyone asks him if _he’s_ okay from time to time. She can’t imagine constantly taking care of others before herself. He might have a calm, happy look about him, but what if it’s just a façade? She doesn’t want him to suffer in silence.

“Hey, Luka?”

“Yeah?” He replies, the two of them coming to a stop in front of the nurse’s office.

“You know if you ever need something, anything, you can talk to me, right? I just don’t want you to forget that… you’re not alone. And to remember to take care of yourself.”

Luka smiles warmly at her and places a hand on her shoulder. “Thank you, Mari. That means a lot to me. More than you know. I’ll bear that in mind.”

Marinette returns the smile and then turns to walk into the nurse’s office, waving her hand goodbye to Luka before she goes through the door.

“Marinette! Are you alright?” The nurse asks, perking up as soon as she sees Marinette walking through the door.

“I’m alright, I hit my head earlier today, can I just lie down for a bit?”

“Of course, of course! Do you need any ice?” 

“Yes please,” and before she even finishes her response, she’s already handing her a wrapped up ice pack.

“Thank you,” she sighs, bringing it to her forehead and sitting down into a chair. She leans back, closing her eyes a little, letting herself rest.

_”Sorry guys, I’ve only got two hotdogs left for the four of you!”_

_“Not a problem,” Nino says, leaning forward to grab the last two hotdogs from the stand, “my girl and I will take one, and you two can take the other!” He looks to Marinette and Adrien and hands Marinette the hotdog, the corner of his mouth rising ever so slightly._

_“Between friends,” Alya remarks, holding out the word ‘friends’ and raising her eyebrows at them._

_Marinette and Adrien immediately begin trying to offer the hotdog to the other, attempting to out-polite each other as Alya and Nino watch, brows furrowed in frustration._

_“C’mon now! One hotdog for two coming up!” And he snatches the hotdog out of Marinette’s hand, splitting it perfectly in half and handing a half to each of them. They look to each other, shrug their shoulders, and take a bite at the same time, the explosive flavour of the hotdog lingering prominently on their tongues._

_Their eyes widen as their bodies begin to float upwards. As if on reflex, they hold hands, trying to keep their balance whilst they fly up higher into the air. They get to a steady height, and Marinette recognises the familiar guitar melody that one of the Americans has started to play._

_“Oh! That’s the song we danced to at Chloé’s birthday party, remember?”_

_“Ohhh, yes,” she replies, blood rushing to her cheeks as she tries to act slightly oblivious, as if she hasn't thought of that dance for every single second after it ended._

_“Then… will you?” He asks, extending his hand out towards her and raising his eyebrows slightly in question. In surprise, Marinette jumps back a little, sending her drifting further up into the air. Panic begins to bubble in her stomach, she’s still going and she doesn’t know how to stop. Then, a familiar warmth grabs her hand and pulls her in close to his body, looking down at her with a gentle smile. She relaxes a little, still gazing into his bright, green eyes, then places her head on his chest._

_His arms are around her waist, her arms are around his neck and shoulders, and time stands still. It’s just the two of them, in this very moment, dancing to the melodic tune of the guitar under the moonlight. It’s picturesque. It’s everything Marinette has ever dreamt about. She can feel his beating heart against her own, his gentle breaths on the back of her neck, the way he’s holding her so tight, as if he never wants to let go. And it’s where she wants to be for the rest of her life._

_Forever in his arms._

The bell rings, signaling the end of second period and the start of lunch. Marinette jumps up quickly, a startled look on her face. The nurse just laughs, taking the ice pack from her head and leading her out of the room.

“A note. Just in case your teacher asks where you were. Have a good day, Marinette!”

“You too, madame!”

Her legs begin picking up speed. She still hasn’t told Alya her thoughts about Adrien yet, and Alya always gives the best advice. The noise of cafeteria buzz comes into earshot, she turns a corner and walks through the doors, scanning the large hall to find her best friend’s familiar red hair. She spots her sitting at a table with a few others in the corner, and practically sprints over to sit next to her. However, once she’s sat down she realises who else is sat at the table: Nino, Juleka, Rose and then… Kagami and Adrien. Her eyes widen at the two of them sitting together, Kagami’s head leaning on Adrien’s shoulder as he unwraps his tin-foil covered sandwich. 

Alya notices that Marinette’s staring and gently digs her elbow into her side, clearing her throat. “Sooo, Marinette! Where were you during second period?” And, as if on cue, Luka walks up to their table and situates himself next to Marinette. Everyone just goes silent, all quietly observing whilst he takes his bag off his shoulder and places it beside him on the floor. He looks up to find everyone’s beady eyes on him, and the heat rushes to his cheeks instantly.

“Oh, um, hi? Is there something on my face?”

“No, Luka, just- just ignore them,” she reassures, swatting a hand at everyone else, telling them to direct their nosey stares somewhere else. “I was actually with Luka… we were- um- talking. About… something. That’s actually what I wanted to speak with you about, Alya. I need your opinion on someth-”

All of a sudden, Kagami squeals, causing everyone’s attention to turn to where she and Adrien are sitting, both of them laughing and clutching their stomachs. Marinette glares at the two of them, annoyed at the disruption and also… she might be a little jealous. Just because she’s thinking about trying to move on from Adrien doesn’t mean her feelings have disappeared completely yet.

Once they’ve calmed down, Kagami looks up at everyone and brings a hand to her mouth in shock. “Oh god… I’m so so sorry, you guys. Adrien started tickling me!” Adrien notices everyone looking at him and his smile fades into a look of embarrassment, his eyes now focused on his sandwich on the table in front of him, trying not to make eye contact with anyone. Marinette scoffs audibly and rolls her eyes at the two of them, looking back at Alya’s equally unimpressed face.

“So, as I was saying,” she lowers her voice, the chatter around them beginning to start up again, “I’ve been thinking a lot about Adrien and I… and well… I’ve decided I can’t wait around for him anymore. One minute he’s flirting with me, can’t keep his eyes off of me and hanging out with me all the time, the next he’s sat with Kagami at lunch _tickling_ her. I can’t sit here and wait for him, anymore Alya. There’s better people out there for me. Like… like…” and her eyes dart quickly to her left, where Luka is sitting quietly eating half a slice of a BLT sandwich and listening to something Nino is telling him.

Alya’s eyes widen in realisation and she leans in closer to Marinette, keeping her voice to a low whisper. “Are you suggesting that… those ‘better people out there for you’ might include… I don’t know… Luka!?” She gestures with her hands frantically, her eyes just about bulging out of their sockets now.

“Shhhhh! Shut! Up!” Marinette says, keeping her voice down, trying not to attract too much attention to herself and looking around at everyone else to see if they've noticed. Once she’s satisfied that no one heard Alya and her big mouth, she leans in closer to her again. “I’m just saying, you know? He likes me. He’s one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met… he’s talented, creative, hard-working, smart, dreamy… I mean! Uh- He h-has big dreams!!”

Alya throws her head back in amusement, laughing at Marinette's awkward goofiness. Marinette blushes a little, rubbing a hand up and down the back of her neck and soothing her nerves.

“I understand, Marinette. I was thinking the same thing actually. You deserve someone who knows what they want, not someone who’s constantly giving you mixed signals and leading you on. At least you know you’ll always have a good friend in Adrien,” her eyes soften and she places a hand on Marinette’s shoulder to comfort her. She nods back, looking down at her lap and sighing heavily to herself.

When Alya turns in the other direction to talk to Nino and the others, Marinette is left alone to her thoughts. Lunch is almost over, and the fact that she was too busy talking to Alya instead of buying food is now taking its toll in the form of an uncomfortable feeling of hunger brewing in her stomach. Sighing again, she rests her elbows on the table and places her chin into the palms of her hands. She feels alone, helpless. She knows how difficult it’s going to be to get over Adrien.

His silky, blonde hair and the way it bounces with his head when he’s excited about something. His bright, green eyes and the way they always have this distinctive sparkle in them. His soft, pink lips and the way his bottom lip protrudes out into a small pout every time he’s upset or annoyed about something.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spots something moving along the table. She sits up and adjusts her eyes in the direction of the movement, her gaze landing on half a BLT sandwich in the middle of a wrinkled sheet of tin-foil. She looks up and is met with Luka’s comforting, blue eyes. His eyes are fire in water, passion in ice. He smiles at her and nods in the direction of the sandwich, signalling that it’s for her. As if he’s noticed she hasn’t eaten anything. As if he’s been paying attention. As if he cares.

No matter what happens, Marinette knows he'll be a friend for life, never dominating nor submitting, but a companion who walks freely alongside, allowing Marinette to make her own choices, yet still supporting her each and every step of the way.


	3. iii

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> marichat !! 
> 
> after both marinette and adrien reflect on their current situations and try and get some advice from their kwamis, adrien transforms into chat noir to get some fresh air, whereas marinette stands at the balcony on her roof.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys! thank you SO much for 50 kudos !! i really never expected people to actually read this, so thanks so much for your support :)
> 
> so sorry this chapter took so long, i've been busy with school and personal things. i'm going back to school physically this week, so chapters might take a little longer to come out. but i promise i will upload (at the very LEAST) one chapter out every two weeks. i'm going to aim to post a new chapter every week though, but we will see how it goes. enjoy chapter 3 !

Marinette bursts out into giggles, rocking back and forth as she sits cross-legged on her bed. Luka sits in the same position opposite her, blushing at her reaction to his joke. 

Once she’s calmed down, she wipes under her eyes and looks back at Luka’s fond, smiling face. His pupils are blown and he’s just looking at Marinette with complete adoration. She recognises the look on his face and shifts a little under his gaze, eyes darting away from his face.

“Sorry,” he begins, his expression now almost frightened. He reaches his hands out to try and display his apologies, but decides against it, not wanting to worsen the situation any further.

“No, don’t apologise, I just- you know, I-” And their eyes meet again, both of them laughing breathily as an attempt to ease the awkward situation.

“I should probably go,” Luka announces, quickly standing up, grabbing his books from Marinette’s desk and stuffing them into his backpack. Her eyes widen at Luka’s hasty actions, and she feels guilty for reacting that way to his fond gaze and chasing him away. “Thanks for having me over, even if we didn’t do much studying.” They laugh again, but this time it’s genuine. 

His smile slowly fades as he leans forward a little, grabbing Marinette’s hand in his and kissing the top of it gently, maintaining eye contact. Her breath hitches and the blood instantly travels straight to her cheeks. Luka releases her hand and gives her a small wave as he makes his way towards the hatch in the floor. Marinette just stares dumbly at him, eyes wide, pupils blown, mouth slightly open and cheeks flushed. She manages to mumble a pathetic, “Mmbye” as he opens the hatch and climbs down the ladder, pulling the hatch down with him.

For a moment, she remains fixed in this star struck position on her bed, before rolling over and squealing into her pillow. That was so… so… _dreamy._ Luka is so dreamy. 

So why can’t she stop thinking about Adrien?

She groans, rolling over again onto her back and staring at the ceiling, trying so hard to shake the thoughts out of her head.

A golden glow washes over her room as the sun sets in the sky. She closes her eyes, gently basking in the sunlight shining through her window and ridding her mind of any boys. Of course, it doesn’t work. Sighing, she forces herself up and out of her bed, dragging her feet to her desk and opening up a book. Since her and Luka got virtually no work done, she still has 3 homework assignments to complete for tomorrow. So she places an elbow on her desk and puts her face into her hand, flicking through the pages of her textbook and grabbing a pen.

“You and Luka really hit it off today, Marinette! That seemed like it was fun! So why the gloomy look on your face?” Tikki exclaims, flying out from her hiding spot in Marinette’s closet and coming to sit on her desk.

Marinette sighs audibly, scribbling down a lengthy answer to quite a difficult maths question. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me Tikki… I just- I just can’t stop thinking about Adrien.”

“You need to forget him, Marinette. It’s time to move on, wake up and realise that you have everything in front of you. Luka is perfect for you. And he’s willing to wait for you. How many other boys like that are out there?”

“Not many.”

“Exactly. Boys like Luka are one-of-a-kind! You need to grab the opportunity, especially when it’s presenting itself to you so plainly. Forget about Adrien and see how things go with Luka!”

“Yeah… Yeah. You’re right Tikki. Forget about Adrien… see how things go with Luka,” she repeats slowly, as if she’s making a mental to-do list in her head. “I need some fresh air,” she says, mostly speaking to herself rather than Tikki. She stands up and stretches upwards, then makes her way to the ladder in her room, climbing up to the roof.

. . .

“It’s been like, two days, Plagg. Maybe it’s time for me to finally give up on ladybug…” Adrien says, lying on his back with his arms tucked under his head. He analyses his ceiling, deep in thought.

“Give her more time, Adrien,” Plagg murmurs between mouthfuls of cheese, getting tiny crumbs of it all over Adrien’s crisp, white sofa.

Adrien groans audibly, pulling himself up off of the sofa and making his way over to the huge windows he has in his room. The sun is setting, casting a beautiful sea of oranges and golds across the Parisian sky. It’s beautiful. Beautiful… like Ladybug. Like her deep, blue eyes and the way her eyelashes cast intricate shadows on her cheeks. Everything about her is perfect. He loves her.

But she doesn’t love him back.

And it hurts. It hurts so bad. It hurts that they spend so much time together, go through so much together… It hurts that they're always there to support each other through their highest highs and their lowest lows, watching each other grow and mature with every passing battle… Yet even though they can both agree that there can’t be one of them without the other, her heart belongs to another.

It’s sad. Depressing, really. Knowing you can’t have the one person you want more than anything in this world and then having to spend so much time with them. Your feelings only growing stronger because you fall in love a little more every time you see their face.

He only wishes for her to be happy. No matter how much it breaks his heart to see her happy with someone else.

A single tear rolls down Adrien’s cheek as the sky starts darkening, the golden colours of the sun melting away into the night. 

He needs fresh air. To clear away the sad thoughts in his head. Get his mind off of Ladybug.

“Plagg, claws out.”

. . .

A warm breeze sweeps through Marinette’s hair as she stands on her balcony, hair down and in her pyjamas. The moon hangs prominent and bright in the starry night sky, lighting up the darkening streets of Paris. 

This setting reminds her of two days ago. Her and Chat on a rooftop, sitting in comfortable silence, gazing over the city. Then her mind wanders back to the words he said to her that night.

_”If you’re spending all this time chasing after this one guy and he hasn’t returned those feelings, then… then maybe he doesn’t deserve you.”_

The words he spoke to her that night still linger in the back of her mind. What he said was so unlike anything a boy has ever said to her before. So genuine. So honest.

Honest.

Chat has always been honest with her. Straightforward. He always told Ladybug how he was feeling - no strings attached. But with Adrien, there’s uncertainty. As if he can’t make up his mind. He doesn’t know what he wants. Then with Luka, there’s that honesty again. He’s always stressed how much he just wants her to be happy. He’s never pushy, he gives Marinette space and time to come to her own decisions.

It’s a difficult decision, but deep down she knows it needs to be made eventually. Does she keep pursuing a boy who does nothing but lead her on, or does she go with one of the other options, both of whom love and care about her very much?

She’s quickly pulled from her thoughts by the soft sound of feet landing behind her. Sharply, she turns around and is met with a very familiar smirking face. 

“Hey there, Marinette,” Chat says, walking around to her side and casually leaning against the balcony. “What brings you here this fine, summer’s eve?”

Marinette rolls her eyes playfully, looking up to the sky. “I _live_ here, Chat, surely you know that by now?” She replies, giggling to herself. But when she turns back to look at his face, he’s not laughing. He’s just staring at the ground, his brows furrowed and his eyes sad. “Chat Noir? Are… are you okay?” She asks, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder.

Chat turns to her with watery green eyes and sighs. “No, Marinette. And I don’t know if I’ll ever be alright,” he replies, his voice breaking a little as he walks over to the small bench on Marinette’s roof, sitting down and putting his head in his hands.

Marinette follows, sitting next to him, but making sure to leave a little bit of space between the two of them just in case he needs it. “Hey, do you wanna talk? About… it?” Chat looks up at her with a tiny look of confusion in his eyes. “I mean- you know- only if you- only if you want to-” And she’s interrupted by the warmth of Chat’s hand on her knee. 

She can feel her heart beginning to race, a sensation that’s never happened with Chat around before. Their eyes meet and… she feels mesmerised. There’s so much emotion in his eyes, sensitivity and kindness. 

“That would be great, Marinette. Are you sure it’s alright?”

“O-Of course! Anything for a… for a friend,” she says, her voice trailing off into a whisper at the end.

Chat smiles and leans back against the bench, sighing and collecting his thoughts. “It’s… um… it’s Ladybug,” he sighs, causing Marinette to twitch in interest a little. Did she make him feel like this? This sad? This helpless? “You know, countless times I’ve told her I love her. She’s always said she never feels the same. W-Which I respect, you know? But… I can’t help but wonder if maybe it’s something I said or something I did? Am I not good enough for her? She’s always saying that there’s someone else, but where is this someone? _Who_ is this someone? Because I can almost guarantee I’d treat her better than this secret person. I suppose maybe she thinks I’m not sensitive or serious enough, but… the only reason I flirt with her so much is because I’m straightforward. I’m playful. I mean- look at me! I’m a cat, that’s what cats do. I just… I just love her so much. But as much as it hurts me, I think I need to let go. I need to start moving on. I just feel so alone.”

There’s a moment of silence before either of them speak again. Just the two of them sat in the moonlight, letting his words sink in properly.

“I’m sure it’s nothing you did, Chat. Ladybug is pretty outspoken too, right? I’m sure she wouldn’t hesitate to call you out on your mistake if there was one. You are good enough. You save the city every time there’s trouble and I’m sure she admires you for that, it’s just… if there’s someone else then she can’t help the way her heart feels. So, maybe you’re right. Maybe it is time to move on. But you’re definitely not alone.”

“Oh yeah? Why’s that?”

“No, no. This is about you, not me.”

“No, tell me, please. It’ll make me feel better if you tell me.”

Marinette looks at him wearily, debating in her head whether to tell him what’s going on with her. On one hand, she knows what it’s like to talk to someone about personal issues, only to have them flip it around on themselves and make it about them, instead. However, on the other hand, she also knows how it can be sort of comforting to hear that someone is going through the same thing as you. And Chat has said that it’s fine, so…

“Well, there’s three boys-”

“Three! Wow, Marinette, how does it feel to be the most wanted in Paris?” Chat exclaims, raising his eyebrows and winking teasingly. She laughs and digs an elbow into his ribs playfully.

“Stop!! Anyways… three boys. There’s this one boy I’ve always liked. He’s sensitive, kind-hearted and he’s just an all-round amazing person. I’ve tried confessing my love to him so many times but… I can never get the words out. He always mentions how much he appreciates me, but as a friend. But then… he’ll act a certain way with me that he doesn’t act with anyone else. I have no clue where his head is at, but the fact that he always calls us ‘friends’ makes me think he doesn’t want us to be anything more than that. Then there’s… this _other_ boy. Again, sensitive, kind-hearted, amazing. He cares about me so much and all he ever wants is for me to be happy. He’s told me that he has feelings for me, but he’s never pushed me to do anything and he knows that I like the other guy. Although he likes me, he’ll always give me advice, even if it’s about the other boy, and he always stresses how much he loves and supports me no matter what I choose to do. Then, of course, there’s the last guy. We’ve been friends for over a while now and he’s great, he really is. I don’t see much of him because we don’t… go to the same school… but he’s also confessed his feelings for me. He’s always flirting with me, you know, being playful and teasing, but recently he was really straightforward and he opened up to me. And all this time I’ve been turning him down non-stop, thinking he wasn’t serious enough to even be considered as an option, but,” she says, looking into Chat’s eyes, “maybe I’m starting to think otherwise.”

“Wow… Well… do you want my honest advice, Marinette?”

“Yes, please.”

“I think you have two clear options. Two of the boys clearly really care about you and have been bold enough to express that on multiple occasions, which is what you want, right? Sensitive, straightforward? Then the first boy seems to be leading you on a lot. Nobody wants that. Sounds to me like he’s sending you on a wild goose chase, or maybe he’s just completely idiotic and oblivious to the fact that you like him. So, maybe it’s time to move on and go for someone who actually shows their love for you,” he advises, eyes never leaving hers.

“You’re right. And you should take your own advice. There’s so many girls in Paris who would love to be with you, and you… you deserve to be happy. Even if it’s not with Ladybug.”

He sighs, nodding his head slowly. Marinette’s eyes begin to water slightly as Chat lifts his arm up and around her shoulders, pulling her in close for a tight hug. She leans into his body, feeling his warmth envelop him and she feels safe. 

Lately, she’s truly been seeing a completely different side of Chat. The boy who she once deemed as arrogant and egotistical has turned out to be a complete softie. He’s right though, about moving on. Things with him and her would never work out in the long run. So she hopes he can move on quickly and find someone who makes him happy. And she will try and do the same with Adrien.

“Here’s to moving on. No matter what it takes,” Chat whispers gently into Marinette’s hair, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

“No matter what it takes,” she repeats back, just as quietly, turning her head to look up at his deep green, feline eyes.

And in the moment, it feels right. She forgets about everything she just told herself and asks in the softest voice, “Can I kiss you?” 

He looks a bit taken aback, but his eyes drop to her soft, pink lips and he just nods, causing both of them to lean into each other.

It starts off small, gentle and comforting, before they both relax and deepen the kiss. Marinette places a small hand on his cheek, pulling him in impossibly close. 

Chat’s skin shivers, his muscles twitching to meet her touch and his breathing becoming heavier with no musical soundtrack but the quiet sounds of Paris in the evening. His body feels like it’s on fire, ignited by the passion of their kiss. He can taste an undertone of salt, and he realises that Marinette’s crying. He pulls away slowly, bringing his hands up to cup her face. Her cheeks are a blush pink and tear-stained, her eyes puffy and watery.

“I’m sorry,” she says, looking away from his face and trying to fight back more tears.

“Don’t apologise. It’s okay,” he reassures her, gently wiping away the moisture from under her eyes. “No matter what it takes, right?”

“Yeah,” she replies, chuckling breathily and resting her forehead on his chest.

Their comfortable silence is rudely interrupted by a faint beeping sound. They lean back away from each other, Chat bringing his hand in front of his face and examining his beeping ring.

“Shit. I have to go.”

“Oh. Okay,” she says, watching the way his body moves underneath his spandex costume, his long limbs carrying him easily and swiftly across the roof. He hops onto the balcony railings and waves with a small smile on his face, and before Marinette even has a chance to wave back, he’s already travelling far into the distance.


End file.
